


Dial Up

by themostcleverandwittyname



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Abduction, Bad Flirting, F/M, Ficlet, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, One Shot, Secret Relationship, Sex, reno is a gremlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:47:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22812559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themostcleverandwittyname/pseuds/themostcleverandwittyname
Summary: Reno has been begging for Stella's number, taking his breaks to show up and bother her. Despite his job calling for him to hunt her down to apprehend, he hunts her down only to flirt. Stella hates it but maybe there's a reason she hangs around to listen to him.
Relationships: Reno (Compilation of FFVII)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 60





	1. Hotline

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a ficlet that uses circumstances and the character, Stella, from my other fic "Chin Up Buttercup", which is in progress currently. There is context to be found in the main fic, but you do not have to read it to understand this blurb. I just wanted to explore Reno and Stella because I thought the dynamic would be cute. 
> 
> Without further explanation, enjoy!

“I’m trash too. You can take me out.” 

His voice rang out in the dingy alley behind the 7th heaven bar and it was enough to make her groan in disgust. She couldn’t count how many times this had happened and she would never have thought that the sight of a Turk would bring her anything other than fear. It wasn’t fear, respect, or anything remotely close to that which she felt. 

Groaning out loud, she dropped the trash bag into the rusty bin and cut her eyes to the man, whose wide, cheeky grin lit up the dark alley. She crossed her arms and gave him a pitying look, ready to see how he planned to get her contact information this time. It could be as simple as shooting him a glare and leaving him in the alley by himself, but she still stood there ready to shoot him down once more. She had gotten incredibly comfortable with the strange encounters that she found herself in with the red-head and maybe that was for the worst.

“Give it a rest, man. Don’t you have a job?” She said with an eye roll. Shrugging, he approached her, holding his usual weapon across the back of his shoulders with both hands. He was maybe a few inches taller than her, his build lean and lanky. His suit was crisp and his shirt barely had a purpose with the amount that it was unbuttoned in the front. 

“You wouldn’t believe it, I’m on break right now.” He replied smoothly, stopping a foot away from her. She shouldn’t indulge him, not even for a second. Yet, she still remained stuck in place, finding herself talking before she could rethink her decision. 

“Okay, so you’ve got one cheesy line out of the way. Let’s get this over with.” Her sarcasm dripped and she motioned with her hand for him to go on. He let the rod roll from his shoulder into his left hand and propped it against the brick of the narrow alley. 

“Oh, you’re giving me a chance this time? Gotta make this good.” He laughed, a smirk punctuated his sentence as he reached for something to say. She deadpanned and watched as he leaned forward, leaning against the brick wall. He cleared his throat when his blue eyes lit up. 

“Okay, miss programmer. Are you a keyboard, because you’re my type.” He gave, cocky grin making her cringe. She shook her head and gave him a look of disbelief. 

“That’s terrible. Can’t you come up with anything better than that? After all this time and you’re still terrible.” she groaned, trying not to let any tiny hint of a smile surface on her face. She couldn’t let him know that she was amused or else he’d never quit. She was beginning to wonder if he ever would. 

“You didn’t like that? Not even a bit? Okay, you’ll love this one.” He promised and shut his eyes for a moment to think. Yet again, she could almost see the spark in his eyes when he found his next line. 

“Are your pants a compressed file? Because I’d like to unzip them.” his confidence was astonishing to her and she had to try really hard to keep it together. Hoping to hide any smile or amusement on her face, she placed her hands over her eyes and shook her head. Once she felt composed enough, she pulled her hands away. 

“Nope, that’s the last one. No more.” her words came out quick and she tried to sound annoyed. Realizing that she needed to go inside and laugh to herself, she turned on her heel and reached for the backdoor of the bar, determined to get away before she had the chance to think over the ridiculous lines again. 

Her escape was halted when his hand closed around her wrist. Like the times before, he had an iron grip and there was no way she was going anywhere. She still shot him a look and tugged her arm, even if it was useless. 

“Come on, so soon? You didn’t gimme the chance to ask for your number yet.” he almost pleaded, yet his cocky facade remained intact. 

“You know what I’m going to say. Why do you keep trying?” She breathed out, ignoring the focused look in his eyes. 

“I’m gonna keep trying until ya give it to me.” he responded in an almost sing-song way, tilting his head. They held eye contact and his cocky smile faded after a moment. She couldn’t do it. She knew that it was impossible and she couldn’t think of trying. Besides, he was most likely toying with her for his own entertainment. Once she caved in, he’d forget her. 

“Give up.” Her words were harsh and quiet, yet she still watched the red-head. He looked down and then back to her. His grip loosened a bit. 

“Not today. Not yet.” 

She didn’t have time to react. No time to yank her hand from his grip or laugh in his face or anything. A voice called from the opening of the alley, another man in a suit. 

“Reno! You’ve got her? Great, let’s go!” His voice rang and the red-head snapped his attention to his partner. His grip tightened around her wrist and she once again tried to yank herself free, this time with real determination. 

“Fuck…” Reno growled under his breath. He looked up at her and gave her an apologetic look. “Break’s over, I’m sorry.” His words chilled her and she froze in place. All this time hating that he was on break to come to annoy her and now she’s caught in the moment that he has to do his job. She had almost forgotten that she was his target. That she was his job.

In an instant, he pulled her close and slapped his hand over her mouth, holding her in place against his chest. Regaining control of her limbs, she began to thrash and squirm in his grip, but the only thing she succeeded in doing was to make him hold her tighter. With a few burdened steps, he drug her to the brick wall, her wriggling and muffled growls against his palm doing nothing for her but make her more disoriented. 

Using his own weight to pin her against the brick, he continued to press his hand over her mouth as he used his free hand to dig a long piece of cloth. She knew what it was and she jerked her head to the side but it was no use. In swift, practiced movements he replaced his hand with the cloth, quickly tying it behind her head. She was growling every curse she could at him through the cloth, glaring at him. He leaned in and whispered something to her.

“I hate to do this, but it’s my job ya know. Don’t struggle so much and it’ll be easier. Trust me” His voice low and absent of anything other than an apologetic tone.

She couldn’t say she didn’t expect this. It was bound to happen eventually but she was mortified that she had been this careless. Still, his cocky playfulness was gone from his expression and his face was now solemn. She wondered if all of this flirting was an expert way to lower her guard, but it didn’t make sense. She didn’t need her guard lowered. He could have abducted her any time and she wouldn’t have been strong enough to fight back. 

His partner had trotted up, holding out a black bag with a pull string. Reno pulled her from the wall and spun her around, taking hold of her from under her arms. Heading no advice from him, she struggled and kicked out at his bald coworker, trying to head-butt him. She knew she succeeded when her head came in contact with his, a pained grunt fell from him. The other Turk stepped out of kicking range and to the side where she couldn’t reach him. 

Her vision was snatched from her as the bag was pulled over her head and the string was pulled taut under her chin. With her heavy breathing and strained growls, the bag heated up quickly and she knew she had to calm down or else she would have a hard time breathing. She stopped kicking, stopped thrashing and fell silent. 

“See? That’s not so bad.” Reno coaxed from behind her. “Rude, do you have the sedative?” he asked and she listened, the man hesitating to speak. All she could do was listen.

“We don’t need to waste that on her. There’s a better way.” 

“Rude, I don’t think that’s-” 

And before she could hear the rest, a hard, numbing blow knocked her head to the side and she fell from the world, sinking into total darkness. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


The first thing she noticed when she came to was the ache in her head and how stiff her neck felt. The second thing she noticed was the cold sensation that numbed her nape. She attempted to reach up to feel whatever it was at the base of her neck that was so frigid, but her hand was snagged. She let her eyes peek open to take a better look at what was keeping her from moving. She was in a dim room, her arms tied behind her back. She moved her shoulders but it was no use. Whatever held her there was strong and only dug into her wrists. There was no black bag over her head now and no gag. She let her head fall to the side, the movement knocked whatever was cold away and the sound of it hitting the floor was barely registered by her. 

However, it was heard by someone else in the room. 

“Oh, look who’s awake!” a familiar voice called. She didn’t bother opening her eyes, she knew who it was. 

“Reno…” She groaned, still having trouble holding her head up. Her eyes were shut, but she could almost imagine his face. She heard a few footsteps approach her but it wasn’t the red-head who made their way over to her. 

A hand grabbed the back of the chair and titled it backward, almost to the point of her back being parallel to the floor. Her eyes shot open and she jumped in her unstable seat. She might have even gasped, she didn’t know. The person tilting her chair back was Rude, his hardened expression mostly obscured by his shades. 

“What are you developing for AVALANCHE? Is it a weapon against the Shinra?” He began and her words caught in her throat. She couldn’t do anything but stare. “Are you aware that your acts of terrorism will be punished much harsher if you don’t volunteer information?”

There was a drawn out silence and Stella felt her throat tighten by the second. The man looked over his shoulder and Stella followed his eyes to find the red-head sprawled on a sofa. His eyes avoided hers and he looked at the ceiling instead. Rude gave her another pointed look and shook the chair, earning a yelp from her. It really felt like the chair was going to tip over. 

“You’re not getting anywhere with that.” Reno spoke up, sitting up on the sofa. “I’m the more convincing one out of both of us and shaking her ain’t helping.” his coworker tilted the chair back into it’s upright form, folding his arms over his chest.

“Are you saying you wanna take this one? I thought you wanted the evening off.” Rude questioned, giving Stella another stony glance.

“The sooner we get this over with the better.” Reno yawned, pulling himself off the sofa. “Be a pal and go make a pot of coffee. I’ll take it from here.” He smirked, pulling his arms over his head in a stretch. Rude looked from her to the red-head and sighed. 

“Yeah, coffee wouldn’t hurt. It would be great to have the evening off for once if we get this in the bag quickly.” He admitted, rubbing his eyes from under his shades. With a wave of his hand, he headed behind her and she heard a door shut.

With the door shut and Rude gone, the red-head took a deep breath and came to lean over her, propping his arm on the top of the chair. She closed her eyes and tilted her head away, praying that he didn’t tilt the chair back. Instead, his fingers found their way to her cheek and he pulled her gaze towards him.

“How’s your head? Didn’t mean for it to get nasty like that.” he asked, his light eyes skimmed over her face. She didn’t believe it. 

“Oh, don’t pretend that you care. I know your little game.” she managed, “I don’t know why you’d bother with it. Not when being knocked on the head takes me down. You’re just mean.” with that, she jerked her face from his hand, trying not to let the dizzyness get to her.

Reno nodded and leaned down to pick up what had fallen from her head. A small ice-pack, perhaps a little too defrosted now. He pressed it to the back of her neck, which is where she assumed she had been struck. She didn’t want to think of it as a caring gesture. 

“You think it was all a game? That I didn’t mean it this whole time?” He asked, his face neutral. “You’re right. Why would I bother when all I would hafta do was get nasty and beat you to a pulp. That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

She stayed silent, not knowing what to say. It didn’t make sense but part of her still felt betrayed. He had let her get away so many times, ignored his orders for her. She almost wanted to believe she had been special, even if she never wanted to admit it. It was intriguing and dangerous. Like looking at an explosion. Maybe she had gone blind. 

“You think I wanted to let you get dragged into this? You’re not like those guys in AVALANCHE. I felt bad for you at first think you were gonna get killed. When I realized that you hung around, I really wanted your phone number.” he said, giving her a half-hearted smile. 

“You’re still on that again? Even now? You’re either serious or really trying to make me mad.” she huffed, giving him a warning look. Still, even in the situation, she felt that twinge of hope that she wanted to bury. 

“I told you that I’m not giving up.” He gave and she rolled her eyes and felt herself smile. Even in this situation, as he was supposed to be drilling her for info, he was trying to get her number again. It was concerning how quickly she had let her guard down again. 

“What’s it going to take to get you to stop asking for that?” she sighed, trying to look anywhere but his face. He gave her a mischevious grin and leaned down, his useless flirting was back again. 

“I can’t talk if my mouth is occupied.” he gave with a smirk. She hated that her face felt hot after absorbing his words. If anyone else was this arrogant, this confident she’d smack them. Maybe she still would if her hands weren’t tied. 

“Come on, seriously. When are you going to cut it out?” her question sounded more impatient than she meant it to. He looked from her lips to her eyes and gave her another cocky smile.

“I am being serious. Indulge me this once and I won’t ever bring up phones, numbers, or calls again.” He promised with a wink. She couldn’t believe it, but she so absolutely could, 

“You’re a pervert and you’re nuts.” She concluded before taking a deep breath and saying what she hoped she was too scared to say. “Okay, fine. Go ahead.” she said and mentally scolded herself. Who would know anyway? She might as well get it out of her of her system and let him do the same. She couldn’t lie to herself any longer. She was intrigued. 

“Really? And here I was thinking you hated me now.” he began, his voice giddy. It was annoying but also… charming? 

“Just shut up and do it. I mean it, no more trying to get my number.” She tried to scold, but her words lacked any tact. Before she could change her mind, he placed his hands on the chair, on either side of her thighs, boxing her in. She couldn’t go anywhere if she wanted but she could still knee him hard if she needed to.

As he leaned in, she was surprised by how her heart clenched, that butterfly feeling surfacing. She was surprised at how her breath hitched and she mentally had to count down. He took his sweet time, almost as if teasing her, his blue eyes held that mischievous light. As she opened her mouth to rush him, his mouth covered hers, silencing any scolding she could come up with. 

His mouth was hot and like his personality, overbearing. He wasn’t soft, he wasn’t subtle. His lips pressed into hers with a type of hungry desperation that she had come to expect from him. He paused for a moment to bring his hand up to her chin, letting his thumb roll over her bottom lip. He gave her a knowing smirk, proud of the blush that he had littered her cheeks with. This time, he pressed not only his lips into hers, but his smile too. He knew what he was doing when he hummed into her mouth, the sound making her heart do a flip. He tilted her head back and she relished the warmth of his lips as he moved them over hers. As soon as he had started, he was already gone. 

Pulling back, she tried to follow him. He gave her a taunting whistle, accompanied by a wink. It was a lot. Maybe bordering on too much. He gave her one last, quick kiss to the tip of her nose before he pulled back and stood up, leaving her side. She wanted to ask for him to come back, to give her more, but she was speechless. He leaned down and picked up something familiar from the sofa. 

Her cellphone. 

“Hey… what are-” she began but rolled her eyes when she realized what he was doing. He bit his lip and typed his phone number into her contacts, giving himself a phone call. His phone buzzed as he pulled it from his pocket, he held it up like a trophy, his eyebrows raised. He gave her a cheeky smile as he dropped her phone into her lap, doing all he could to lean over her as he untied her hands. 

He was such a tease. 

She pulled her hands free and rubbed at her wrists, as she stood. She still felt a little dizzy but she wasn’t sure from what. Grabbing her phone, she looked over at him. He placed his finger over his lips and pointed at the door. She got it. 

She didn’t have to be told twice. She snuck over to the door and watched as Reno paused in front of the door at the opposite end of the room, the room Rude was in. He pointed at his phone and mock held it up to his ear in a final message to her. 

He gave her a smile and as he walked into the other room, she left out the front door. She pulled her phone out as she ran down a few winding alleys, looking to call someone from her team to come to her. It was a few contacts down that she saw the red-heads name. 

She just might call him after all.


	2. Speed Dial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reno and Stella meet up after their last tumultuous visit and things escalate more than either of them could have anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a LONG chapter but it's one whole scene and I think you'll find it well worth it. This is a few days after the last chapter.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter does contain NFSW. This is NOT intended for minor audiences.
> 
> That being said, let's get into it!

Stella never guessed her night would turn out like this.

She could blame it on a lot of things. The fact that his kiss still stayed fresh on her mind. Her actually answering the phone when he called her later that one evening. She could blame it on the fact that he invited her to his apartment by herself or the fact that he poured her a small amount of brandy for her. She could blame it on a lot, but the truth was that she was the only one she could blame for letting the red-head kiss her again. 

But this time it wasn’t just him. 

Sure, he was the one cupping her face and pressing her into his couch cushions, but she was the one who brought her hands up to tangle in his messy hair, pulling him as close as she could. It was as if his hands didn’t know where they wanted to be, his fingers tracing her jaw and trailing to her throat, the warmth of his hands were welcome wherever they decided to linger.

She let her hands wander too, finding his ponytail. She twirled her fingers around it and he moaned into her lips, his tongue seeking to swipe against hers. She welcomed it wholeheartedly and he melted into her, both of them sliding down further into the couch cushions. Their lips parted in their descent, giving her the chance to take him in. He was practically on top of her and he had to prop himself on his elbows to keep his weight off her. 

His fiery red hair was even more messy thanks to her hands. His suit jacket was gone, leaving only the hardly buttoned white shirt that looked even more ready to be tugged off. His face was a pink that rivaled his hair. She hated to admit it, but he was a sight to behold. It didn’t take much coaxing to bring him back to her lips, just a small tug at his hair. 

His kisses were beginning to get more sloppy, more desperate and attention seeking. His tongue found hers again and he moaned into her mouth, his kisses were as vocal as he was. She never thought that noises could make her lose herself, but she was wrong. He did it again and she unintentionally joined in. He smirked against her mouth, his tongue toying with hers. When she felt herself begin to melt, his mouth moved from hers, hot and wet, and began to explore her jawline. He pressed lingering, open mouth kisses to her jaw and throat. 

She took this chance to catch up on the breath he had taken away. With his lips on her neck, it was hard to focus but she mulled over something she wanted to ask as she lightly scratched at his scalp. It was something that sat heavy on her mind and she wanted to talk about it before he made her forget.

“Reno?” she whispered, his lips reluctantly pulled from her throat. His soft blue eyes turned towards her, hazed by the moment. 

“Yes, babe?” he asked and the common nickname almost made her forget her words. 

“Do you think this is a mistake?” she asked, her hands falling from his hair. He gave her a hurt look and pushed himself up to look down at her. 

“Mistake? I can stop if you want me too.” He offered in a hushed voice, looking down at his hand, which still lay on her collarbone.

“No, that’s not what I mean. I mean us.” She corrected, letting her arms drape over his shoulders to pull him back to her. He reluctantly relaxed back into her, his weight on her chest a steady comfort. He laid his head just below her chin, his hair tickling her. 

“Do  _ you _ think it’s a mistake?” His voice sunk with his question as if he expected her to say yes. She couldn’t see his face but she could imagine his expression from his tone. 

“I don’t want it to be.” she admitted, her fingers toying with the back of his collar. In all honesty, she felt a little confused as to how she felt. 

She was beginning to really like him even if she knew she shouldn’t. The few phone calls between them, idly chatting during his breaks were something she had gotten used to, something she looked forward to. Ever since she answered that first phone call late that evening when she had run back to the bar, trying to get over the fact that she had escaped the Turks. That was something hardly anyone could say they pulled off, but her luck wasn’t what prevented her from sleeping that night. No, the danger wasn’t what kept her mind occupied. Maybe she had lost it, sneaking off to meet him, but damn if she didn’t love how close he was to her. 

His blue eyes looked up to meet hers again, a small smile teased in the corners of his mouth. 

“The world’s against us, huh?” he gave, finally understanding what she had meant. “We’re not allowed to have this, you and I.” 

“What are we going to do?” She breathed out, her heart sinking with her question. She knew he couldn’t answer her. He was putting way more on the line to have her with him than she was. He gave her a smirk and a low laugh in spite of himself. 

“You could quit tagging along with AVALANCHE. You don’t need that kind of life.” he gave wistfully, his suggestion was less a suggestion and more of a wish. She knew she couldn’t do that. She was finally somewhere she felt like she belonged. They were like family to her and she couldn’t turn her backs on them. She wouldn’t. 

“I could say the same for you. You take so many breaks all the time you hardly work anyway.” She offered her counter suggestion, a smile returning to her as well. “You’re not doing your job with your heart in it.” she teased, the fact that she was on his sofa with him was proof in itself. He smirked at her and propped himself up, leaving her chest to linger over her. 

“Oh, are you gonna tell on me?” he asked, his face inching closer to hers. “My heart’s in my job plenty, just not in the way my boss wants.” he hinted, his grin slowly fading from his lips as his returning playfulness began to wane before he continued.

“I wish it was that easy. They won’t let me go without trouble and they’ll still be after you. We’ll have to be a secret from everyone, you know.” His voice held a seriousness that was almost lost to his softened expression. She wished he didn’t look at her like that, her breath hitched in her throat. 

“We won’t have much time to be together. It’s going to be rough.” She said aloud, her own realization being shared between them. 

“Yeah? So spend the night with me. We’ll have more time.” If it wasn’t his words that were so tempting, it was the hopeful spark in his eyes. She tried to consider leaving him, being cautious and responsible. She tried too hard to consider going back and trying not to think about him later that night. Knowing that she couldn’t even begin to entertain the idea of leaving him to be responsible, Stella sucked a deep breath in before she let it seep from her lungs. 

“I don’t know how, but you’ve got me convinced that’s a great idea.” Her honesty came out and his all too familiar and captivating cocky smirk returned. As much as it once annoyed her, she was so glad to see it back. 

“Is there any doubt that it’s the best idea I’ve ever had?” He returned and she rolled her eyes, entirely for show. There was no way she could pretend to be bothered or hide how fond she was of his mouth. She reached up and found the band of the aviator goggles that he wore as an accessory. She had never seen him use them.

“You’ve said dumber things.” She gave him through a smile, pulling the goggles from his head and carelessly dropping them off the side of the couch. His hair fell around his face, the red strands in even more disarray than she could have imagined. He took a moment to adjust his position over her, his fingers reaching to grace her cheeks. 

“Not too dumb. You’re still here, aren’t ya?” he teased, dipping his head down to press his lips to hers, his hand guided her face to meet his. 

His touches were softer and more focused than last time. Perhaps he didn’t feel the pressure to make anything urgent anymore, to cram in as much love as he could in their limited time together. They had all night to do this. All night to let themselves take each other wherever they would and yet she still craved his desperate mouth.

Remembering his reaction to her fingers in his hair, she found his locks again and let herself get tangled in the mess just above his neck. Wanting to be careful in case her theory was wrong, she gently tugged at the strands, his messy hair easy to grab onto. A small whimper escaped him and at first, she wasn’t sure she had made the right choice until he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Letting curiosity get the better of her, she pulled at his hair just a little bit harder than she did before. 

This time, he pulled back, his eyes fluttered open to give her a studying look. All she could do under his gaze was give him a sheepish smile, hoping it was an apology if she had crossed the line. 

“Are you trying to drive me crazy? I’m trying to be slow and romantic or whatever and you’re pushing it.” He muttered, his breath feathering across her face. Was he scolding her? Or was he telling her that he liked it. She wasn’t sure.

“Do you want me to stop? I wanted to do something for you and it looked like you liked it…” She trailed off as he settled back against her lips, his eyes squinching closed.

“No, don’t. Don’t stop.” he whined against her lips before he added, “Actually, pull it harder. Show me who’s boss.” his request fell from his lips, boldly stating his wants like that took her breath. 

Before she could indulge him, the annoying and poorly timed sound of her phone ringing drew both of their attentions away from each other. She groaned and placed her hand on his open chest, pushing him off her as she leaned up. The realization that he was now straddling her hips dawned on her and she had to take a deep breath. The coffee table showed the phone, its green light glowing against the mahogany surface. It was hard to lean over to grab it from the table with the red-head sitting on her like that, but she managed to swipe it up and flip it open. The caller ID glowed in the dim light and she swallowed on reading the name. 

“You gonna answer it?” the red-head asked, leaning over to read the name. 

“It’s Cloud. If I don’t answer it, he’ll get really worried. I don’t want him out looking for me.” she explained, Reno giving her a knowing and mischievous grin. 

“I wish I could answer that and hear him freak out.” He laughed, his arms snaked around her waist. That was the last thing she wanted. The jingle of the ring restarted and she didn’t want to miss the call. 

“No, that’s not funny. Just be quiet okay?” she urged and pressed the green button on the keypad. The soft beep ended the ringing and she held the phone to her ear. Reno pulled her close and angled his head close to the phone, planning to eavesdrop. If he was quiet, she couldn’t really complain. 

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked, trying to sound human again, as if she wasn’t just letting herself melt at the hands of a Turk. The familiar, soft voice spoke through the phone and she felt a tad guilty. She shouldn’t have to lie to him, as much as he did for her. There just wasn’t any other way. 

“Hey, Stella? Are you still at the clinic? Don’t go anywhere, I’m gonna pick you up.” He gave, straight to the point. Her heart fell. This was bad. 

“What? Why?” she asked, trying not to let her spark of panic show in her tone. 

“What do you mean “why”? You know what happened the other day. The Turks are still out there and taking the train back isn’t safe this late. Besides, when you left you weren’t wearing a heavy coat and it’s starting to freeze out here.” his concern laced his voice and she could almost imagine his face. He was stubborn and if she didn’t come up with something he wouldn’t listen to her. Reno lifted his eyebrows and smiled.

“Oh, he’s bringing you a coat, how sweet.” he mocked in a low whisper, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek, letting his lips linger on her skin. Stella sighed and came up with something really quick, Reno wasn’t helping her concentrate a bit. 

“That’s true, but I, um… I’m staying with mom this evening. She needs help with, er... stocking the pharmacy.” she lied and cringed at how unconvincing it sounded. 

“I see. Then let me come help you out. I’d just feel better if I was there with you. You scared me the other day and I can’t shake my bad feeling. I’ll even stop and get that cake you like in Sector two.” he urged and she felt her heart sink. It was true, Cloud had blamed himself for her abduction but she couldn’t let him go out to discover she lied to him. She couldn’t do that to him. The red-head, having heard over the phone what Cloud was saying, narrowed his eyes and pulled her against him, dipping his head under her chin.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s trying to butter you up. Hurry up and tell him bye for me.” His words whispered against her throat, like he was the devil tempting her. She pulled the phone away from her ear and held it away. 

“Are you getting jealous right now? Really?” She asked in disbelief. He gave her a pout and a small quiet “yes”. Pulling the phone back to her ear, she heard Cloud in mid-sentence. 

“-you go? Stella, you there?” He asked and she was quick to answer back. 

“Yeah, sorry! My mom just asked me something.” she excused and tried to come up with some way to keep him from coming to help her. “Cloud, I’ll be fine for one night. I’m an adult and I just want to spend a night alone by ah-!” her words fell apart when she felt the red-head’s teeth close on her throat, his taunting blue eyes looked up at her in warning. In a showy, taunting way, he let his tongue drop from his mouth to trace over where he had bit her. 

“Stella? What’s going on?” Cloud asked over the phone. She screwed her eyes shut and slapped her spare hand over Reno’s mouth to keep him from doing that again. He just accepted it and grinned against her palm. 

“Sorry, you called at a bad time. I almost dropped this box of needles. Just trust me and let me be away for a night. I’ll be fine, I promise.” She pleaded, her impatience showed in her voice. There was a moment of silence on the other line. 

“Okay. You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just on edge.” he apologized, his voice low. “Just call me in the morning, okay?” his one last request was the only thing he said that she didn’t have to lie in response to. 

“Okay, I’ll call. Bye.” She confirmed and waited for his farewell. When it came, she flipped the phone shut and let it fall from her hands onto the carpet. She didn’t remove her hand from over the red-head’s mouth yet. If she wasn’t putty in his hands, she might have been mad. 

“You’re terrible, you know?” She said half-heartedly, letting her hand fall from his mouth. He gave her a smirk and tightened his grip around her.

“I know, I’m a brat. Let me make it up to you? No interruptions this time?” He asked, tilting his head. Already, she was drawn in and for what? His blue eyes? His smirk? The way his fingers clutched at the back of her sweater? Maybe it was the well disguised care that hid behind his arrogance? 

Answering with a lack of words, she grabbed his collar and pulled him in, a surprised grunt escaped him as she pressed her mouth against his. Her building impatience threw all of her reasoning out the window. She didn’t care how far she let him take her, she just wanted to be there. 

He leaned into her, his hands on her back lowering her down again into the cushions, his mouth all over hers, hot and fierce. So much for slow and romantic. She preferred it this way. His weight pushed into her chest, he freed his hands from under her back and let his fingers trail under her sweater, his touch warm and clingy against her skin. He grabbed at her waist and let his thumbs rub under her ribs. It was beginning to feel like too much. Everything about Reno was too much. Her hands moved from his collar to his face, cupping his face and locking him there. He wasn’t going to pull away and give some smart ass comment this time or find some way to tease her. She gave his face the same care that he was giving her waist, letting her thumbs caress his skin. 

He let his tongue come back out to play, his trespasses more heated and sloppy. To accompany this, his fingers crept up to her chest and slipped under her bra. It was too much. She moaned into his mouth, her grasp on his face tightened as she pulled him in closer. He couldn’t be close enough to her. It wasn’t long and her excitement caught up to her, the need to breathe was overwhelming. She pulled his face away, panting against his mouth. He gave her a calculating look, his eyes half-closed. 

“Tell me what you want. What’s your favorite thing? I’ll do anything.” his words slurred, his hand kneaded her breast. It took her a moment to understand what he had said, his hands were plenty distracting.

“I don’t know. I’ve never…” she trailed off, not knowing the best way to tell him the truth. His eyes widened and he pulled back to get a better look at her face.

“You’ve never… are you saying I’ll be the first?” he asked in disbelief, his hand retracting from under her shirt. His loss of touch was mildly upsetting. She hoped the truth didn’t make him reconsider.

“Yeah, you’re the only guy that I… I mean, I’ve kissed before but…” She tried to get out, watching as he hung on her words and looked down at her, his blue eyes coming to a conclusion. 

“We can do better than the couch. Hell, I’ve gotta make this special.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hands from his face.

He climbed off her and got to his feet beside the couch, pulling her up by her wrists. She swallowed, her heart pounding. She was really going to go all the way with him tonight. She too got to her feet, not having much time to be concerned about her numb legs as he brought his arm under her knees and scooped her up into his arms. To steady herself, she grabbed onto his half-buttoned shirt and let her head lay against his shoulder. 

It was so strange. All of the strength that he had to carry her like this without a fuss was the same strength he used to grab her the other day. If he wasn’t set on loving her, he would be so very dangerous. She knew she’d never be able to fight back against him in a fight. She really hoped that she never had to be there in the face of his work again. She couldn’t handle it physically but she knew it would be even worse emotionally for both of them. 

She really hoped they weren’t a tragedy in the making. 

The creak of the bedroom door being opened pulled her from her musings and brought her back to the moment. His room was lived in for sure, but not messy. His bed was unmade and he had laundry draped over a chair near his closet. Carefully, he set her down on the bed, the sheets were cool to the touch. He placed his hands on the mattress next to her, leaning over where he had draped her. 

“Stella, look at me.” He ordered and she looked up into his eyes, a seriousness crossing them. “Are you sure you wanna do this? With me, especially?” he asked, more stern than she had ever seen him. 

“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t know how much time we’ll have together and I don’t wanna miss this chance.” She answered, honestly. She couldn’t say she loved him yet, but she really didn’t want to miss this chance. His expression softened and he let a long breath escape him, his trademark grin returned.

“Good, because I wanna make sure you feel this for weeks. When I call later, I want my voice to make you blush.” he said with a wink, his words made her feel weak.

He straightened up and pulled his shirt from his back, tossing it to the chair to add to the collection. Kicking his shoes off, he crawled on the bed towards her, the mattress sinking under his weight. Dipping down to take her lips in his, he grabbed her hands to pull towards his chest. He pressed her hands to his skin, the warmth spread over her fingertips. He pulled his lips from hers to make a second point. 

“Of course, I’ll only do what you want me to do. I want to be yours to play with.” He said, squeezing her hand further against his chest. She understood his meaning. It was both an offering and a plea. He wanted her to touch him, but he didn’t want to be selfish and ask. Taking his suggestion to heart, she rose to her knees, pushing him back into a sitting position. She felt a little nervous to be so bold, but she lowered herself into his lap anyway, relishing the way his breath hitched and his eyes widened. His hands dropped from hers and went to hold himself up, placed on the bedsheets behind him. 

“If you wanted me to touch you, you just have to ask.” she whispered, taking her chance to return what he had been giving her all evening. 

She ran her fingers from the top of his chest down to his navel, taking in every crevice of toned muscle that he had on his light skin. He was so warm and she could feel his heartbeat under her fingers. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath until her lungs couldn’t handle it anymore. He wasn’t the most muscular guy she had seen, but his lean figure was a pleasure to her eyes and an experience for her hands. His thin waist and smooth skin was alluring to her. She let a slow, shaky breath out, her eyes leaving the spot she was fixated on and flitting up to search his. He too held his breath, watching for the next move with his hazy eyes. 

She brought her hands to his shoulders and leaned into him, dipping her head just under his ear. He tilted his head, his eyes closing in preparation for her mouth. She let herself place small, fleeting kisses under his jaw, hoping their impact on him was as strong as his were to her. Even still, she got lost in the curves of his throat, his skin drawing her in. Her journey led her down his peck, his nipple in the reach of her lips. She shot him a look, his eyes peeked open in anticipation as she hesitated over him. He swallowed thickly, his chest moving with his breaths. 

She licked her lips and pressed her mouth around his flesh, plucking at it with her lips. He gasped and muttered something like a curse under his breath. It was her cue. She lifted her hand to thumb over his other nipple, her tongue flicking over the one in her lips. He bit back a moan and his head lolled to the side. She pressed her tongue flat against it and his hand found her bun. He tugged her back and leaned forward, his other hand finding her chin.

“Stella, you can’t do that… not right now.” his voice was strained and he leaned into her almost weekly. “I won’t last like this. Let me take over.” he suggested, his eyes still shut. Her voice was absent from her, all she could do was nod. Now she knew what to do later if she needed to get him unraveled. With her say so, he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth and let his hands drop to the hem of her sweater. He tugged it upward and she helped him out, lifting her arms. Tugging it off, her unceremoniously tossed it to the side without looking.

The air chilled her now exposed torso, making her need his proximity even more. She pressed into him to soak in his warmth and snaked her arms under his. His mouth was on her shoulder in an instant, his hand cradling the back of her neck while the other tugged at her bra. As soon as his hand found it, he already pulled it apart at its fasten and it fell loosely down her arms. Shaking it from her arms, she was ready to embrace him again but he was already pulling her tight against him, her breasts squishing against his warmth. He pulled his traveling mouth away and let his eyes wander over her chest. He looked up to meet her gaze and gave her a low whistle, a daring smirk graced his lips. His hand, which was pulling her close, found its way to her stomach. 

Gently guiding her back, he lowered her into the sheets, her movement from her spot made something apparent to her. Warmth had pooled very generously between her thighs. He straddled her, balancing on his elbow as positioned himself over her, his thumb finding her breast much as she had done to him. He quirked his eyebrows up as he stared her down, his blue eyes were all she could focus on. 

Dipping his head down, he took her tit in his mouth, the hot, wet sensation made her forget to breathe. His eyes watched her face as he let his tongue swirl over her nipple, drawing her breath out in a gasp. Satisfied with what he saw, he let his eyes flutter closed and his head tilt as he smirked against her skin. Each graze of his tongue against her sensitive flesh had her more and entranced, her core began to feel warmer than she could imagine. Her breaths were labored and it was too much. Her hands found his forearm, trying to steady her mind and ground her. 

“Reno.” her voice was small as she called to him. His eyes looked up to search her face, his mouth leaving her tit, the cool air chilling the wet ring where his mouth had been. “It’s too much… and it’s not enough.” she contradicted, her mess of words making no sense. He still gave a knowing smile, pushing himself back up to sit above her. 

“I know. I can tell that you’re melting for me.” he gave, his voice cocky once again. His hand brushed down her stomach and to her belt buckle. “Is there anything else you want me to do before I start helping you?” he asked and she shook her head. 

“Please, Reno. I’m starting to feel desperate.” she whined and he waited for nothing else. He unbuckled her belt and slid it from the loops, tossing it in the same direction as her sweater. Eyes on hers, he slowly pulled her pants down in small increments, his devilish grin made it apparent that he was teasing her. It didn’t last forever, as her legs were free moments after and her pants found themselves tossed. He did the same for himself, discarding his belt and slacks, his bulge straining against his charcoal boxers.

Taking a moment to let his eyes drift over her, he gave a contented sigh and pulled himself next to her on the sheets. He reached over her head and pulled a pillow from the headboard, lifting her head so that he could slide it under her. All she could do was watch, breathless and hanging on every movement and touch. Placing his palm on her face, his eyes searched hers. He took a deep breath, his eyes shut as he looked for words. 

“I really want us to make this work. There’s not much I can do but hope for us.” He started and shook his head as if shaking away a direction that he was going to take his words. “I won’t tell you everything I’m thinking right now, but I know that I’m gonna try to make this feel amazing for you. Not just because that’s hot, but because you deserve it.” His words were a whisper. He gave her a small grin, something genuine this time. His cocky facade had fallen, and not knowing for how long, she took in his authenticity. 

As if to punctuate his promise, he leaned in and laid a soft, drawn out kiss. His mouth lingered there and she felt as if her heart was going to burst.

“We’ll make this work. I believe that, Reno.” she managed to utter, hoping that it would bring a little solace to him. Yes, it was true that the odds were against them, but she needed to have this moment with him. She wanted to believe. He opened his mouth to say something, but his lips pressed closed. Instead, he let his head lean against her shoulder, his vibrant hair brushing her face.

“I needed to hear that from you.” he muttered, barely audible. A heavy moment passed and he finally moved from his position, leaning over on his side next to her. He propped his head up using his elbow, looking down on her. Letting his hand leave her face, he let his fingers brush from her jaw to her navel, his touch light and soft. Her skin felt like it burned under his touch. 

When his hand reached the hem of her black panties, he paused, his eyebrows quirked up as if to ask permission. She gave him a delayed nod and his head left his palm, pushing himself up to sit over her. His fingers hooked over the band and he slid them down in a tantalizingly slow manner. He left them to hang at her knees before she made the choice to kick them off. His eyes trailed over her exposed flesh. 

Holding her breath, she pined as he brought his hand to her and let a finger dip between her folds, rubbing down to her entrance. She gasped and she swore he did too.

“Fuck, you’re wet.” he hissed, teasing her with repetitive strokes. She held her breath, resisting the urge to squeeze her legs together. Taking no more time to tease, he sunk his finger in with ease. Stella marveled at the feeling, her lips parting as she looked on. He curled his finger and eased it in and out, the slow friction made her head spin. He added another one and scissored his fingers, stretching her experimentally. Her hands grasped at the sheets and she bunched the cool fabric between her fingers. Anything to cool her focus from the heat of her skin and the warmth of his fingers. 

“You’re gripping my fingers so tight. I want you to soak this in.” His breathy whisper like a growl as he leaned in to press his lips to her collarbone. 

She let her eyes flutter closed and took his suggestive words as an order, his voice making the experience even more intense. She let herself focus on his fingers, which began to delve deeper and pick up the pace. The way his lips dragged across her neck, his breath and hair tickling her combined with the way his fingers worked. He was muttering against her skin, little words of praise but she couldn’t focus on what he was mumbling. She didn’t think that it could get any better, that it could feel any bit more pleasurable and consuming until his thumb began to press against her clit. 

It was like a jolt of electricity, the roughness against her. The rocking of his fingers gave his thumb the same rhythm and she couldn't control her voice. A surprised whimper escaped her and he hummed against her skin. She turned her face to him, leaning her head against his. Taking notice, he looked up and his fingers came to a halt. Instead, he focused solely on her clit, swirling his thumb in intentional and slow circular patterns, her breath catching with each repetition. She was already so sensitive and this was pushing her close. It was nothing she herself hadn’t done before, but it was so much more with him. His eyes locked with hers, their hot and heavy breath almost palpable. 

“You’re so close. I can tell. Hold onto me, I’m gonna make sure this makes your toes curl.” He breathed, his smirk returned and he gave her a wink. Nothing he said days ago could have ever been misconstrued as sexy but now she was hanging on every word. Taking in his meaning, she brought her arm over his bare shoulder, his skin was just as hot and sticky as hers was. He pressed a quick, messy kiss to her lips and pulled back to watch as his hand started to move again. 

This time, it was quick, rough, and just what she needed. He pumped his fingers in with a purpose and she swore the pace matched her heartbeat. Curling his fingers up, each time he grazed a spot that made her feel that same, warm electric feeling, made even better by the fact that each time his thumb met her clit. 

“Fuck, Reno.” she gasped, her eyes squeezing shut with her exclamation, she was sure her tight grip around his shoulder was hurting him or was at least uncomfortable. 

“You’re so hot. Come on.” he pleaded, his voice strained as he worked even harder, his rhythm quickening. She brought her knee up, having to mind her legs. She didn’t want to knee him. The new pace didn’t take long. In moments, she was undone, the built-up feeling erupted and her voice spilled out with her pants, her moans airy. She squeezed Reno closer, her chest rising and falling as she rode the last of the orgasm, his fingers still doing their work inside her. The feeling began to fade and left her face searing hot as her breathing slowed and her grip lessened on him. 

With her silence, he pulled his fingers from her, the warm sensation fleeting with his absence. He pulled away as he sat up, her arms falling from his shoulders. He inspected his hand, slick and gleaming from her. Turning his fingers over in his inspection, his eyes cast her way. Without a word, he brought his fingers to his lips, letting his tongue dart out and trace his fingers, his eyes locked with hers. Even after what she just experienced, it filled her with butterflies. 

He too was trying to catch his breath, his boxers were impossibly tight. He looked down at his straining boner, and then back to her, his fingers falling from his lips. 

“You ready for the next part?” He cocked his head as he asked, his lack of breath graced his voice.

“There’s another part? That was… so much.” she started, but didn’t want him to think she was done, her voice diluted by her breathlessness “That’s a yes, by the way.” His breath caught and he took a moment to react.

“Good, because that would be one hell of a blue ball after that performance.” He gave with a sigh, his blunt honesty found a way to worm its way and if she wasn’t desperately horny, she might have minded. 

Leaning over her, Reno grabbed a metallic package from the bedside table, it glinted in the dim light. It was good that it was there, because it certainly wouldn’t have been a good afterthought. She leaned up and watched as he tugged his boxers down, his cock springing up from its confines, suspended by a patch of red hair. So his hair wasn’t dyed. 

He made quick and almost clumsy work of shimming the boxers away and struggling to open the metallic package, tearing only a small piece of it away. After a try, he got it and pulled the condom out, rolling it down to the base in a quick manner. She wondered how often he did this and felt the smallest pang of sadness. She didn’t think she was a passing hookup considering everything and how much he was risking for her, but it still nagged in the back of her mind. He was clearly experienced.

He reached forward and grabbed her hands, pulling her towards him and forcing her to sit up. 

“I want you to ride me. If you don’t want to, it won’t hurt my feelings or anything. I just think that you’ll have more control.” he panted, his face inches from hers. His bluntness was everything. At this point, she didn’t care. She was just eager to have him in her again. As long as he was there with her, it didn’t matter.

“Okay. Show me.” she said and his eyes searched hers as he swallowed. 

His hands let hers fall from his and found her hips. He looked down at his hands and back to her face as he pulled her onto his lap. To steady herself, her arms wrapped over his shoulders once more, as if finding their home. His erection was perched between them, curling up to press against his stomach. Taking her attention off of it, his lips pressed into hers as he lifted her up over his lap. She tried to help by leaning forward, but she let him guide her down as his lips searched hers, messy and hungry against her mouth. 

The tip pressed against her entrance, it’s width much more generous than his fingers were. She pulled her mouth from his, waiting for his grip to pull her down. She was so glad she decided to look. The soft, flustered look on the redhead’s face was something she’d never forget. She wasn’t sure how long she had been taking in his face before he lowered her down, the sensation of him filling her up overpowering. His gasp was loud and his groan was even better. Once she was lowered all the way down, relishing how much he stretched her, Reno let his forehead press against hers. 

“S-shit, Stella. You feel amazing on me.” he moaned out, his eyes fluttering shut. She took this opportunity to place a kiss to his cheek and let her fingers tangle into his hair. With him pressing inside her, she knew there was no way she could form anything relating to speech and she did the next best thing. He wanted her to have control and she was going to do just that. 

Using his shoulders for leverage, she lifted herself up slowly, to what she guessed was halfway up his cock before she pressed herself back down as an experiment. Letting his head roll back, he moaned out something else.

“Oh you’re trying to kill me with that.” his words a frustrated mumble. Taking that as a sign, she continued doing that, pulling herself up and down in a bounce, savoring both the way it made her feel and Reno’s breathy moans and whispers. Moving her fingers through his hair, she changed her rhythm and her movements, rocking back and forth to save herself the trouble of leverage. It was easier to kiss him this way too. 

Letting her mouth wander over his throat, she could feel the vibration of his voice on her lips. Her movements were unpracticed and sloppy, but she was trying her best for him. His hands tightened on her hips, where they had been plastered the entire time. He leaned forward and lifted her up slightly. She stopped and gave him a look, his murky blue eyes traced her features as she pulled her lips from him. 

“You’re doing great, but this is too slow. I can’t handle it anymore.” he gave and pushed himself into her. The message was clear and she took a moment to prepare herself, placing her hand firmly on his shoulders. After a moment, he began to move his hips.

Stella gave a contented sigh as the familiar friction she craved returned. She was still sensitive from her previous orgasm. As his pace quickened, she let her head fall against his shoulder bracing herself. As anticipated, his thrusts grew more rapid, rough, and desperate. His grip on her hips was going to leave marks, she was sure of it. Each thrust nailed that one spot, bringing her closer and closer. He wasn’t far behind her, if she had to guess, his thrusts chasing something inside her. 

“Reno…” she uttered feverishly, not able to form much more than his name on her lips. His response was delayed, his hands moved from her hips to her shoulders. The steadiness they provided was sacrificed and his thrusts bounced her. 

“I know...me too.” his voice was strained and instead of saying any more, he pulled her close and buried his face in her shoulder. She was pressed against him and loved his warmth, his smell, the stickiness of the sweat on his skin, the feeling ebbing in her with each thrust.

It was enough. 

For the second time, she felt herself reach the boiling point and her gasps and pants were strung with his name. She uselessly grasped at his back in some desperate attempt to pull him closer or to ground herself, she didn’t know which. Moments after, he was the same, pulling her closer with bruising strength and becoming more undone. His pace fell apart and he gasped and groaned into her shoulder, his hot breath burning against her skin. As she rode out the last dregs of her pleasure, she helped him through his, kissing down his neck breathlessly and letting her hands rub his back.

There was no way of knowing how long they sat there, holding each other together and letting their breathing slow. Her heart still beat rapidly and she was beginning to wonder if it would ever calm. His heartbeat thrummed against her, his chest heaved with hers. They both slowly calmed, the weight of the intensity they both experienced was crashing down on them and she realized that she was absolutely exhausted, but in a deeply satisfying way. 

Reno finally pulled back, his arms falling from her sticky, moist back. His blue eyes reflected the same exhaustion she felt and he pulled her off his cock. She winced, the sensitive area now felt sore and overstimulated. Still, he gave her a low whistle as a statement. He shimmied out from under her and moved away, kicking his legs over the bed. 

“I’ll be right back. Don’t miss me too much.” his words were classically cocky, but held nothing but exhaustion in tone. She laid back on the bed, her arms falling to her side. He pulled his boxers back up over himself and disappeared out the door. The sound of the sink came from the bathroom a room over and she let her head rest against the pillow, taking in everything that had just happened. 

Remembering every word, every touch from him made her heart swell. She was in too deep and she knew it, but she couldn’t care less. She didn’t care that she had to keep this secret. It just meant that he was all the more special to her. He was her secret to guard and keep close to her heart. She knew it would be hard, but at this point she almost challenged it. This would be okay somehow. It had to be. Pulling his pillow close, she savored the moment, inhaling the familiar sharp scent of his cologne. 

As much as she wanted to steal one of his shirts or something to have, she knew it would be suspicious and it wasn’t worth the risk. 

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up.” his voice called from the doorway. Releasing his pillow, she looked up to find him with a washcloth in hand, looking less disheveled than before. He had the chance to catch his breath and straighten up a bit while he was away. The sight of him made her flush and that was surprising to her. She guessed he was right about wanting to make her blush afterward.

He joined her on the bed, holding the washcloth out to her. Swallowing, she took it in her hand and the warmth from it was comforting. 

“You can take a shower here in the morning, but that’ll do for now.” he sighed, leaning forward to watch her. Taking a breath, she cleaned herself up, the cloth was soft and not too abrasive on her sensitive skin. Once she felt she had done a good job, she pressed her lips together and held the cloth in her hand, it’s warmth slowly dissipating. She didn’t know what to do with it. He took it from her and tossed it over his shoulder to the laundry pile on his chair. She should have guessed. 

Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down with him into the pillows. With light touches, he brushed her bangs from her face, snaking his arm under her head, cradling her against his side. His eyes searched hers as he pressed his head into the pillow, reaching up to lay his hand on her cheek. He took a deep breath, giving a small smile before he opened his mouth.

“You’re stunning, you know that?” He breathed out and she shook her head and scoffed aloud. Of course he would start with this, even if it was endearing and sweet and made her smile. He gave a small laugh at her reaction, his sleepy expression and the way his thumb rubbed over her cheek was too sweet. 

“I mean it.” he gave before adding a question. “Was tonight worth it? I wanted to hold out for you longer, but I knew I wouldn’t last that long.” he started, his twinge of doubt was something that she wasn’t to extinguish immediately. 

“Way worth it. I’m still not over it. You were right, I’ll be thinking about this for a while.” she admitted happily, reveling in his caress. “I just want us to be like this together as much as we can.” she added, bittersweet. He hummed and craned his head down to place a lingering kiss to her forehead, his breath displacing her bangs. 

“Don’t worry about it for now. I’ll find a way, you know I will. Let’s just focus on us right now.” he gave, a stifled yawn escaped him.

“You’re right, you’re right.” she trailed off, a comfortable silence hung between them as he cozied up to her, pulling the comforter over them. His hand returned to her face, caressing her in a soothing and slow manner. 

The only sounds present were the sounds of each other’s breathing. His warmth, his presence lulled her into a secure comfort, his caress slowed as his breathing did. She wasn’t sure when, but in time his hand fell still and so did he, passing out with her in his arms. It wasn’t too long before she felt the pull of sleep on her, so uncommon for her early in the evening. She wasn’t sure if it was exhaustion or the total security and all over warmth she felt but soon she too was passed out. 

* * *

  
  
  


She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep and the lines between night and morning were so blurred that she was perplexed by the absence of Reno beside her. She stirred and leaned up, the empty bed beside her cold. Shaking away sleep, she looked to the nightstand for the alarm clock, showing the time 10:36. She knew that she had overslept and that Cloud had most likely called her several times by now, but she couldn’t be bothered to spring into a frenzy to rush out of the apartment. 

Instead, she rolled back into the comforter and buried her face into the blankets, savoring the familiar scent. Something caught her eye on the bed next to her, the silver phone lay within arms reach with a small, handwritten note. She pulled it to her and read the messy handwriting.    
  


_ Check your messages ;) _

She studied the note, smiling at the handwriting. She didn’t expect his penmanship to be any more than barely legible. Flipping her phone open, she ignored the “3 missed call from ‘Cloud’” prompt and clicked down to her messages, opening the most recent one from him. It took a moment, but the photo slowly loaded and she sighed as she realized what was shown. 

The picture showed Reno, grinning wide with his hair in more disarray than usual, having just woken. He lay next to her, her sleeping face nestled on his shoulder. He pointed at her proudly, his nose slightly crinkled from his smile. Taking a moment to let herself fully soak in the photo, she shut her eyes and pulled her phone to her chest. It was so precious she couldn’t handle it. Pulling her phone back, she saved the photo for her to look at later. As much as she wanted to set it as her background, she knew she couldn’t let anyone see it. 

She wanted to curl up in his bed and wait for him to come back, but it was so far from probable and she laid up. She could rush, but she wanted to take his suggestion and have a shower. 

She ignored the phone buzzing and flashing as Cloud’s name lit up, moving to stretch and pull the comforter over her.

She didn’t mind a bit. She’d come up with an excuse later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo feel free to comment your opinions or any feedback you have. Thank you!


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